


The Best of Humanity

by edupunkn00b



Series: All I've Ever Wanted [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Sanders Sides (Web Series), Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Canon Crossover, Canon Related, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Police Brutality, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: Revolution of the Daleks, Sentient TARDIS, Stealth Crossover, Timey-Wimey, tags risk spoilers so they're rather incomplete sweetie, theory confirmed, you dear sir are a time traveller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28642566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edupunkn00b/pseuds/edupunkn00b
Summary: Spoilers ... this story takes place a few years after and references the events inRevolution of the Daleks.The Doctor must find a way to save humanity from its greatest threat.
Series: All I've Ever Wanted [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2147658
Comments: 35
Kudos: 21





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> Please note warning tags and additional tags/characters/ _more_ will be added as the story progresses. This story starts **dark** , gets a little **_darker_** , and just like the dawn, brightens before the end.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the prelude to the full story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story generally follows a linear-ish progression of cause-and-effect. This first chapter is the major exception. Other than that, the interweaving tale is only a little bit timey-wimey.
> 
>  **Doctor Who reference? _Fantastic._**  
>  \- Logan, in _Can Lying Be Good?_

The door to the TARDIS swung open as the Doctor stumbled in, one hand pressed hard against her side, mouth a single, tight line. Even so, a groan escaped her lips as she turned and locked the door behind her. Safe at last, the Doctor sank to the floor of the control room. The concerned warbling of the TARDIS was the last thing the Doctor heard before her vision shifted to black.

...

Some time later, the Doctor's eyes shot open and she sucked in air with a gasp. The pain in her side was back and somehow _even worse_. "Oh, that's not good. Not good at all," she muttered as she crawled first to her knees and pulled herself up to --mostly-- standing, leaning heavily on the closest wall. The Doctor swayed as she tried to stand still for a moment, focusing on her pain, working to determine just how bad it was.

It was bad.

The Doctor's earlier pain had spread. Her entire left side was now throbbing, and she was starting to lose feeling in the finger tips of her right hand. She felt a sharp pain above her right eye and a deep ache in her head and down her neck that probably meant a brain injury. The Doctor knew what this meant.

And so did the TARDIS. The Doctor gradually became aware of the increasing urgency in the TARDIS' warbling sounds. "Yes, yes, I know, old girl, _I know_." The Doctor sighed, more a groan than a breath. "I'm dying."

The Doctor stumbled over to the console and leaned heavily against the control panel, resting her forehead against the upper edge. Tears burned at the edges of her eyes. "But unlike my fam, I get to come back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Sweetie ... spoilers follow  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> The Doctor has just barely made it back to the Tardis after being mortally injured in an unspecified battle that appears to have left Yaz, Graham, and Ryan dead.


	2. Regeneration

The Doctor huffed out a not-quite-laugh, "I _get_ to come back. I get to come back to lose more friends, more family, more people I lo--" The Doctor's voice broke and tears forced their way down her cheeks. She sunk to her knees, fingers still gripped tightly on the console, chest tightening. She wished she could say she'd truly lost count of how many she had lost, but that would be just one more of the Doctor's lies. Images of lost friends and lost loves danced across vision blurred by tears. They were always brilliant, and always brave, running toward danger right alongside her. The TARDIS warbled reproachfully, as though her thoughts were audible. "I don't make them take the risks they do, I swear..." the Doctor said more to herself than to the TARDIS.

As if in response, the ancient memory of Rory's words screamed through her mind. _"It's not that you make people take risks, it's that you make them want to **impress you**. You make it so they don't want to let you down._" The Doctor groaned. Rory had been right.

Donna had been so brave that she would rather burn than lose her time with the Doctor. Bill followed her off a cliff in the Doctor's selfish belief that Missy could be redeemed. And River ... Another sob escaped the Doctor's lips. River put the whole of existence at risk in the hopes that the Doctor could live. And later died in her place to save more than four thousand people. The Doctor felt her grip loosen. "Too many, too many. How many more do I have to lose," the Doctor whispered. "Please, no more, no more."

But as her regeneration slowly started to take hold, the memories took over

After they left the TARDIS for good, Ryan and Graham also continued to fight for humanity back on Earth. That is, they continued the fight until the fight ended them. Ryan died defending his friends from jack-booted "peace officers" during a BLM vigil back in Sheffield. Most of his friends were able to run from the police when Ryan drew them away from the crowd. But Ryan couldn't escape. The officers killed him, claiming Ryan was resisting arrest. The Doctor looked up, eyes caught on the translucent pane at the top of the TARDIS, the broken chameleon circuit taunting her loss: _POLICE BOX._ Police stole away most of her Fam that night. Ryan's loss was the last pain Graham could carry. His official cause of death was an accidental overdose of the Toposar he'd resumed after scans showed the cancer had returned. The Doctor knew better.

"And Yaz, brave, incredible Yaz. Now we really do have a Universe without Yaz." She tried to close her eyes and her memories to the scene of Yaz pushing her out of the way of the blast. The Doctor didn't even register why Yaz had shoved her before Yaz dropped over the charge just as it detonated. And then there was nothing left of Yaz but the rapidly dissipating heat from where her hands last touched the Doctor.

Images continued to race through the Doctor's mind as she remembered more of the losses she'd endured. Clara was killed by her own oh-so-human hubris and by Me's still-quite-human treachery. Thousands were killed and the entire planet imperiled when that lonely Rattigan boy made his deal with the Sontarans. Jack Robertson had more blood on his hands than even she knew. Simple tourists on a shuttle bus ultimately killed that poor hostess. The Doctor pulled her hand through her hair as she realised that she still didn't know her name.

"Please, no more!" The Doctor's voice broke as her throat tightened and she shouted, " **I can't just come back and watch them die!** I can fight off the Cybermen and The Master and five kinds of Daleks and every other alien who wants to harm this planet. I can turn armies around at the sound of my name but I can't stop humans from hurting each other? How can I stop them? **How!?** " The TARDIS warbled softly. The Doctor closed her eyes and whispered, "How can I stop them from hurting themselves?"

The Doctor froze, mouth slack as her eyes opened wide, a wisp of an idea swirling in her head. "How do I stop them from hurting each other and themselves? I've seen that good people in this world can help move it forward. How can I help them to be the better versions of humans that I _know_ they can be?" The Doctor slowly pulled herself to her feet, feeling the first tingles of regeneration energy, as an idea grew tendrils and roots in her mind. She had to work fast.

Breathing shallowed by the pain, the Doctor started to search the TARDIS databases. "I need to pick the right time, just the _right_ time for humans to be receptive. If I wait too long, the damage will be too deep. Too many will be corrupted and I won't be able to turn them around. Too early and ... " The Doctor's voice trailed off, thinking about Nikola and Vincent and Martin and Sylvia and Alan and all the others whose ideas came too soon. She kept tapping at the keys until she found just the right time and place.

"Well, old girl, let's get a shift on. I know what to do." The Doctor blinked rapidly, yanking back her attention from her darkening vision and the fiery pain in her body. "I'm going to need your help. I can feel it blowing in, this new regeneration is coming and I need to be in the right place and the right time. Do you hear me," her voice cracked again as she punched in the coordinates. "This is where I need to go," Idris' voice echoed through the Doctor's head. "Do you see why?"

The Doctor waited, giving the TARDIS time to process both her words and the timespace coordinates she had chosen. She knew the TARDIS could piece it together with what she'd found in the historical database. "This is the moment in time when I have a chance to shape things ... I can help humans be the best of themselves, to be more loving, more accepting of both themselves _and_ one another." The Doctor stopped, her breath hitching as she fought the waves of regeneration energy swirling their way to the surface. "If I make people want to impress me, let me be someone who shows them how powerful they are. Let me be someone who shows them they are loved beyond belief." Maybe, just maybe it would work. "If I can balance out enough of the negative feelings, maybe we really can add enough happiness to the pile of good things that we can tip the scales this time." 

"This is where I _need to go_ ... " The Doctor thought she could hear gentle, knowing laughter in the TARDIS' warble as she whispered one more time to the TARDIS, "Please."

The Doctor pulled the lever and pushed herself backwards and away from console, bright, golden light pouring out of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References:   
>  [**Nikola** Tesla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla)   
>  [**Vincent** Van Gogh](https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/06/05/van-gogh-and-mental-illness/)   
>  [Dr. **Martin** Luther King, Jr.](https://thekingcenter.org/)   
>  [**Sylvia** Plath](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Plath)   
>  [**Alan** Turing](https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/06/23/alan-turing-gay-who-was-did-eingma-die-death-facts/)
> 
> __  
>  **Ok, kid, this is where it gets complicated ...**   
> 


	3. Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place both after the previous chapter and _before_ the events in Doctor Who, Series 3: Utopia. #timey-wimey

Alarms blazed and lights flashed across three different tracking screens in Torchwood Three. "We're picking up a sudden surge of artron energy," Gwen announced, her voice nearly quiver-free. Jack's head snapped up, time rift readings forgotten.

"Did you say _artron_?" He quickly looked at the massive timeline chart pinned above his workstation. "We weren't expecting the TARDIS yet ... Doctor, Doctor, to what do we owe this little surprise?" Ianto rolled his eyes at the purr in Jack's voice and wheeled his chair closer to Gwen's.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we, Jack? According to these readings, the TARDIS touched down - ," Gwen squinted at the screen, double-checking the digits in front of her. This can't be right, she thought to herself. "The TARDIS landed kilometers outside of Wales."

"Oh, no, I hope The Doctor isn't headed to Torchwood One," Jack winced. "We could be in for some real timey-wimey explanations. The Doctor might think the building is still standing, which means none of it has happened to him yet ..." Jack's thoughts raced. Which Doctor is this? What if they haven't met yet? What if Rose is still with him?

Ianto's voice interrupted Jack's spiral. "No, Jack, we're talking about _thousands_ of kilometers away from here. Look."

Gwen nodded, "If I'm reading these numbers properly," Gwen looked up, wide eyes meeting Jack's, "the TARDIS just touched down in America."

"You don't say," chuckled Jack, clapping his hands together. "Fancy a trip to the States?" Jack stood and practically skipped over to see the screen in front of Gwen. "I know you two have always wanted to meet President O--," Jack's voice trailed off when he saw the coordinates on the screen, lips momentarily frozen in a little _oh_ shape. The screen changed again. "Dammit, no! He's on the move - we're losing the signal!"

Gwen's fingers flew across the keyboard, trying to triangulate the Doctor's new position. "He's gone."

Ianto raised his hand toward Jack and quickly lowered it. Gwen looked between Ianto and Jack, Jack's eyes downcast and Ianto's bright with despair and helplessness. "Let me try to pinpoint exactly where he was before we lost the signal." Jack started to pace, alternating between watching her work and not-quite gnawing on his thumbnail. After a several long minutes, Gwen called out, "I've got it! Look, here's where the TARDIS had landed."

Jack hurried over, eyes wide, taking in the new coordinates. He blinked, brows knit together. "Wait, what was the Doctor doing in ... _Florida_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, kid, this is where it gets ~~complicated~~ _weird_ ...


	4. Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same software, different face.

The Doctor jolted upright, words rushing out in a jumble, "Reverse the polarity! No, no, **no** , that's no good, there aren't any stabilizers! Engage the rift extrapolator and turn off the friction contrafibulator! **Activate St. Luke protocols before we're detected!** " The Doctor leapt up and ran to the dimly lit controls, manically flipping switches and turning dials for several minutes until the TARDIS gently warbled in response.

The Doctor breathed at last. "Oh, you clever girl. You've already done all that. You've powered down. Even _I_ wouldn't be able to find us now." Which was part of the point of it all, the Doctor thought. "It will be as though we've just disappeared ... We're safe." A deep sigh escaped the Doctor's lips. "How long was I out, anyway?" As the raging panic left the Doctor's voice, an undeniably lower timbre began to echo through the control room. The Doctor's hand reached up to feel decidedly _different_ hair. "Oh, Doctor, you're daft! What about your own camouflage?"

The Doctor leaned close to the nearest screen, wincing a bit as that trusty coat tightened uncomfortably at the shoulders. The Doctor's face lit up in an eerie echo of the last regeneration. "Brilliant! This can work! Alright," the Doctor's hands clapped together. "First things first. Let's make sure we're _actually_ where we need to be ..." The TARDIS let out a single rasping sound as if insulted. The Doctor ignored the response and tapped away at the keyboard, confirming their location in time and space. "Alright then, we are," the Doctor paused for a moment, calculating geocentric spacetime coordinates from the numbers scrolling across the control screen. "We are just outside of Gainesville, Florida, United States!" A grin broke out across the Doctor's face. "And we're even early!"

"Oh, you lovely! You've done it!" The Doctor gave the TARDIS' console a gentle caress and spun around. The Doctor started bouncing with glee but then stopped short. "Lovely. Brilliant. Daft." The words rolled around the Doctor's teeth and tongue. "Oh, _bollocks_!" The Doctor quickly deflated as those words sunk in. "This just won't do at all. I've got to get this accent sorted. Well, lucky thing we're ahead of schedule! Alright then, let's find some study material. Bring up the AV archives for the upcoming decade. Time for a bit of immersion learning. Then I've got to work out just how I'll get myself properly integrated before the historical records show we met. The Chameleon Arch won't do the job this time. I've got to remember who I am and why I'm here. Oh, but first," the Doctor shifted awkwardly with a grimace, "I'm going to need a change of clothes."

The Doctor stripped off the long periwinkle coat on the way to the TARDIS wardrobe room. "You were lovely, but I'm afraid you don't quite fit anymore." The Doctor held the coat and reverently hung it on a hook. "Thank you." The Doctor slowly walked through the racks of clothes, hands trailing over cotton, lace and velvet, linen, wool and leather. The Doctor's hand lingered near deep red silk draped on a hanger. "So many choices," the Doctor whispered. The Doctor stopped in front of a dark grey jumper and in a rush of inspiration, started pulling clothes off their hangers and adding them to a growing pile in the middle of the room. Once the pile grew to hip-height, the Doctor started trying on different combinations. The Doctor stood in front of a full-length mirror in a dark blue pencil skirt, topped off with a black shirt, dark blue tie and matching waistcoat. "Hmmm... I do like this, but it's not quite right. I'll keep it for later, though." The Doctor kept searching until ... "This is it! Now, I just need the right shoes," the Doctor searched for a few moments and cried out in triumph. "Got 'em!"

The Doctor tromped down the halls and back into the control room, trainer laces messily tied, and caught sight of the figures in the first video the TARDIS had queued up, ready for the Doctor to watch. "That's right, old girl. Might as well start with the source. Erm." The Doctor looked down at the soft cotton shirt that closely matched what one of the pair in the video wore. The Doctor was a poor judge of freshly regenerated features, but even the Doctor couldn't miss the resemblance. "Spot on! We really _do_ look quite a lot alike. Almost as if," the Doctor leaned hard against the console, throat suddenly dry. "Almost as if I've just bootstrapped my way into a paradox." That gravelly Scottish voice echoed through the Doctor's mind. _Who **really** composed Beethoven's fifth?... _"... or who's really Beethoven?" the Doctor whispered. _Too late to change your mind now_ , the Doctor thought, with a quick head shake. "Alright, then. Onward we go. Start the video, if you'd please."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And until the next chapter, take it easy, ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon! Peace out!


	5. Florida

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 takes place a few months after the events in the previous chapter, as well as during the events of _Torchwood: Out of Time_.

" **What in the Universe was the Doctor doing in Florida in this timezone?** " Jack asked the room for the tenth time that week.

Ianto looked up, mouth opening, then shutting again. He was worrying over the same question, but was more concerned about the team's _current_ mission. Jack and Ianto were meant to be researching the giant mid-century bi-plane that suddenly appeared in Cardiff, but Jack kept finding himself pulled to the mystery of the surprise artron energy signatures they'd detected last summer.

"Take a look at this, Ianto," Jack prompted, turning his screen, pointing to the overlapping timelines he'd sketched out over the signal. "The US isn't exactly Cardiff ... there haven't be a lot of confirmed or even suspected sightings of the TARDIS in the US at all, particularly in Florida of all places. There are some redacted reports scattered around from the 1960s, but the records are pretty sketchy from that time ... " Jack's voice trailed off, his worries left unspoken. There just wasn't anything notable going on at this time. Not in _Florida_ , at least.

"I've been stretching my memory of an-," Jack cleared his throat, risking a quick glance at Ianto's face to see if he noticed the near-slip, " _history_ and I'm coming up empty. There was the first moon landing that launched from Florida, but that was, well, that was back in the '60s." Maybe a coincidence, maybe not, Jack thought. He dismissed his wild idea. Doesn't help us now. "There _was_ all that business with the - " at this, Ianto's eyes narrowed and Jack realized he'd miscalculated. "Nevermind. Wrong century." Ianto opened his mouth to ask and Jack just shook his head, staring into his eyes. "Believe me, Ianto, you _really_ don't want to know." Ianto grit his teeth for a moment and decided to let it go. For now.

"The Doctor doesn't just show up some place for a stroll. There's always _something_ drawing him in, always something going on when he shows up." Or maybe it's all _because_ he's shown up, Jack laughed to himself. "Unless, of course ..." Jack frowned, ran a hand back through his hair and down to his neck.

Ianto expressed Jack's unspoken fear, "unless it was just a system error. A false positive? Without a baseline, we don't really know if this kit is configured properly."

Jack stilled for a few moments and stared at the screen before him, eyes unfocused. Finally, he sighed. "I know. You're right, I know." Under other circumstances, Ianto would have asked Jack to repeat himself so that he could get a proper recording of that priceless admission, but the dim, almost _dead_ light in Jack's eyes quashed that thought. Jack swallowed, pressed his lips together, and then turned back to Ianto, a nearly convincing grin pressed into his face. Jack let out a quick burst of air, almost as if to extinguish a candle, and said, "Right." He took a deep breath. "Tell me more about _The Sky Gypsy_."

Ianto gave Jack a tight smile, eyes soft with an emotion Ianto didn't want to explore. "Well, " Ianto began, "according to the archives, _The Sky Gypsy_ disappeared in 1953 ... "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey _stuff._**  
>  _\- The Doctor_  
>    
> 💙💙💙
> 
>  **Time is an illusion that helps things make sense  
>  So we are always living in the present tense  
> It seems unforgiving when a good thing ends  
> But you and I will always be back then  
> You and I will always be back then**  
>  _Time Adventure_ by Rebecca Sugar


	6. Writers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Incorrect Quote:
> 
> _The Doctor:_ I love fanfics. They make me feel weird.  
>  _Companion:_ What's good about weird?  
>  _The Doctor:_ It's happy for sad people.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hate this, I'm so, so sorry.
> 
> _At times, there truly is no rhyme or reason to what I do: I just do._

**01:07, November 9, 2016, Florida**

"Fuck."

The Doctor knew this day was coming.

Despite all of their efforts, despite the countless voices crying out and knocking on doors and making phone calls, despite it all, this day had come. Hate had won. The Doctor could only sit, helpless and hopeless, watching the results come in with everyone else. _At least we're not alone,_ the Doctor thought.

The Doctor knew this day was inevitable. It always had happened and always would happen and there was _nothing_ the Doctor or anyone else could do about it - _fixed points in time cannot be re-written._ That didn't make it hurt any less.

It didn't help to know how much worse it was going to get.

The Doctor looked around at the frightened faces gathered around the room. The apartment had become the official watch party location for all the friends. Valerie, Terrence, and Dahlia were seated close together on the longer side of the couch. Talyn bounced between the shorter side and the armrest closest to Valerie. Everyone else alternated between sitting anxiously around the room or pacing between the living room, the kitchen, and the hall. The evening had started joyously, with the friends expecting to pop champagne and eat cupcakes with edible sugar "glass" frosting to celebrate the first woman President of the United States. If only that was how history had played out. As state after state turned blood red on the screen, the friends stilled, sitting close, holding hands, quietly watching the screen.

" **Fuck** ," the Doctor muttered again. The Doctor's throat tightened, tears starting to fall. Hoping no-one else would notice - w _ell done, Doctor, well done, cry in front of your Companions!_ The Doctor feigned a sudden need to clear away dishes from the coffee table, quickly escaping to the kitchen. One step in and the Doctor realized two other friends had already done the same and were holding each other, crying. "Oh, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

Talyn looked up and managed a smile, "you could never intrude. C'mere," they said, pulling the Doctor in to join the hug. The three friends just held each other for a few minutes. The Doctor gave up on hiding the tears, sniffling and absorbing the love and warmth of the hug.

"Thomas - ?" Valerie called from the living room.

"In here," he said, voice a little muffled from the hug.

Valerie walked into the kitchen, seeing the three friends gathered near the window and smiled a bit. "Joan, Talyn, can you squeeze in a fourth into that hug?" They both nodded, making room.

After a long while and everyone's eyes were - mostly - dry, the Doctor sighed deeply and asked, "Alright then, so now what? We can't just give up."

Talyn looked at their friends, thoughtful. Then they pulled out their phone, "let's find out what's brewing online. I'll check the group chats, Thomas, can you check Twitter?"

He nodded, reaching for his own phone. "On it! Joan, can you check Tumblr?" They quickly nodded, pulling up the app and searching through the tags.

"I'll go see what everyone's up to in the living room. We can divide and conquer," Valerie added, heading back to the couch as everyone started texting friends and checking their feeds for planned actions. "We'll _create_ some reasons to smile!"

The Doctor's head snapped up at Valerie's choice of words. "Hey, everyone," a tiny smile twitching at the corners of the Doctor's mouth. "I've got a video idea..."

...

**January 2017, Florida**

_" ... using your platform to positively affect your audience the same way your heroes did for you."_

"That's it! That's the line!" The Doctor shouted, bouncing up and down and scattering scribbled papers everywhere - mouth stretched in a brilliant smile and eyes bright. The Doctor shoved the paper into Talyn's hands to read.

The three of them were lounging around the living room, remnants of two pizzas, soda cans, cookies, and chips scattered on nearly every surface. Time had flown during this triathlon of video games, spontaneous show tunes, and a bit of unofficial Sanders Sides script work. Talyn looked thoughtful and then smiled. "And it's got to come from Virgil," they added. "Try it out, Thomas."

He pulled his hair down a bit over his eyes and drawled in his Virgil voice, "Using your platform to positively affect your audience the same way Disney did for you" he muttered, hands shoved in his pockets and shoulders slouched.

Talyn grinned broadly, pulling both in for a hug, "Ha! You made it personal ... Nice! Joan, what do you think? Hey, someone should write that part down ... Thomas?" Talyn snagged the pen and started making notes.

The Doctor nodded happily. This would work perfectly.

...

**June 2017, Florida**

Thomas and Joan were still listed as the only two _official_ writers on the Sanders Sides episodes. The unofficial writing team usually included Talyn, and sometimes more. The trio had been working on the latest script since just after breakfast that morning and the sky was starting to lighten, heralding a new day.

The Doctor let out a slow exhale and leaned back into the couch cushions, hands steepled and knee bouncing. This story line had some dark metaphors and it would take a careful hand. The Doctor looked back and forth at the two of them. ~~The Companions~~ No, the Doctor thought. _The Writing Team._ The Doctor tried again, "what if we just _nudge_ the idea that ducking out for The Sides is symbolic of something more ... ". The Doctor's hands swung around in uneasy circles.

"Permanent?" Talyn finished, eyes questioning, lower lip caught between their teeth. The Doctor nodded, hands falling down in loose fists.

Talyn realized they were gnawing on their lip and made a visible effort to stop. "This is heavy," they continued. "Thomas, are you up for it?"

He nodded, "I think we have a chance to really make a difference for people who are suffering. I can do it."

Talyn smiled, squeezing his hand. "Joan, what about you? I don't want us to go down a path that's going to make you uncomfortable. You're as invested in this as Thomas."

They grinned, taking Talyn's other hand. "We can do this. I know we can."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't very well keep calling them _Companions_ , now could I?


	7. Distractions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a few years after _Torchwood: MIracle Day_ and contains Torchwood spoilers.

Gwen sighed as she leaned over Jack's shoulder, reading the screen in front of him. "Jack," she began.

"Yes, Gwen?" Jack mumbled, only half-listening. Gwen pulled up another chair to sit next to her old boss. Jack had been staying at Gwen's since last week when he'd shown up at her doorstep, shoulders slumped and face ashen. Jack's visit had been unexpected but Gwen wasn't overly surprised - clearly he, too, was all too aware that it was nearly ten years to the day that Ianto had died. And now, it looked like Jack was falling back to his old obsession as a coping mechanism.

"Jack." Gwen turned Jack's chair so he would face her. "You're not going to find the Doctor on the internet, Jack."

Jack wouldn't meet Gwen's eyes. Gwen noticed that his shirt was rumpled and it looked like he hadn't shaved that morning. From where she sat, Gwen could see tears caught in his lashes. She patted Jack's knee and stood up. "Jack?" Finally he looked up at her. "Are you hungry?" Jack nodded dully. Gwen tugged at his hands, pulling him up. "Come with me. I've got some lasagna in the refrigerator."

Jack followed Gwen to the kitchen and silently helped Gwen set plates and flatware on the counter. Gwen watched him cautiously out of the corner of her eye. Gradually, the mundanity of the task seemed to relax the creases in Jack's forehead. After a few more minutes, the food was warm and they sat at the counter to eat in silence.

Once they'd finished eating, Gwen kept her eyes on Jack's face until he looked up. One side of his mouth turned up in a little smirk. "What?" he asked, the faintest blush brightening his cheeks.

Gwen thought quickly. _He needs a distraction. Ah!_ A chuckle escaped Gwen's mouth. "Ok, now, don't laugh. I want to show you something."

Jack grinned wickedly and waggled his eyebrows, "Oh, I like the sound of this ..." 

Gwen rolled her eyes and shook her head in mock annoyance and chuckled, "not like that." Gwen hoped this was worth it. She continued, "Anwen came home from school one day talking about this YouTube video series that - " Gwen sighed and grimaced in embarrassment. _I can't believe I'm admitting my fangirling to Jack, of all people ..._ She shook her head again and smiled ruefully, "and, yes, they're quite fun. Want to give it a watch?"

Jack squinted at Gwen and his smile grew. "Anything that makes you look that ashamed has got to be seen." Gwen smiled. _Yep, definitely worth it._ Gwen opened her laptop and the two settled in on the couch to watch the first video.

...

_" ... when Elsa passes away, Olaf's gonna die, too, 'cos the magic's gonna be gone."_

Gwen winced slightly at the morbidity and quickly glanced at Jack, but he only chuckled. "Someone's seen Frozen 2," he said.

She giggled in relief, unsurprised that Jack picked up on that line. The kids both had loved the movie and acted it out for him _constantly_. "Actually, this video's rather old ... it was made before the sequel."

"Wait, what?" Jack quickly paused the video and checked the upload date. "Oh, my God, you're right - this video is from 2017."

Gwen rolled her eyes but smiled. "And you doubted me? This bloke's predicted a few things ... apparently his fans joke that he can tell the future." She made woo-woo motions with her hands for emphasis and reached over to resume the video.

Jack humphed quietly and tilted his head, staring at the man in the video.

_..._

A few minutes later, the next recommended video started to play as Gwen walked back with two glasses of wine. Jack laughed at the incongruity of the Santa hat on the actor's head, "Oh, I see it's Christmas in July now!"

Gwen laughed as the intro music played, "yeah, you get used to the randomness of autoplay," handing Jack a glass.

 _"... the air is crisp and cool, except for here in Florida!"_ Jack's jaw dropped and a bit of wine spilled on his hand as he nearly lost his grip on the glass. Jack moved quickly to mop up the spill, trying hard not to be be distracted by the sudden buzzing in his ears. The video continued _" ... except I'm not ... **FLORIDA!"**_

Jack's head started spinning. Florida. Florida? Florida is where the team had spotted those phantom artron energy signatures. They'd never found an explanation. Jack had spent months searching through historical archives, looking for major events that could have drawn (or been influenced by) the Doctor. Jack shook his head. _It's just a coincidence._ He tried to convince himself, looking back at the screen. A handsome, energetic, kind of _unconventional_ man who's rumored to know the future and ... makes YouTube videos in Florida. _What if it's not just a coincidence?_ Jack's head starts spinning from the possibilities.

Gwen, finally noticing his movement - and the spill - looked over at Jack. "Oh, no, Jack," she whispered, slowly shaking her head, "I know that look."

"What look?" Jack tried to deflect, fighting to keep both his features and his voice under control.

" _That_ look!" Gwen cried, closing the laptop and turning to face Jack. "That's the exact same look you got last year when you tried to prove that _Donald Glover_ was the Doctor-"

"Have you _seen_ him in The Martian? He didn't even bother to play a character, he was just _the Doctor_ , being brilliant, flailing about with no respect for authority and saving everyone with **advanced mathematics**!"

"And," Gwen continued as though Jack hadn't interrupted. "It's the exact face you made you tried to convince me that Elizabeth Holmes was merely _the Master's_ latest disguise and she was trying to take over the world with Theranos!"

Jack opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying and failing to find the words that would make his case. He sighed, shoulders deflating, eyes lowering to stare at his hands. "I've just ... " Jack slowly exhaled, pressing a hand to his eyes. "I've just got to find the Doctor."

Gwen moved closer, pulling Jack's hands away from his face and lacing her fingers through his with gentle pressure. "I know." Jack's eyes came up to meet hers. "I know how much you need him. Ever since you-" Gwen took a breath and pushed herself to continue. "Ever since _we_ lost Ianto, you've had this ... emptiness in you." Gwen paused, considering. "Will finding the Doctor really fill it?"

Jack gripped Gwen's hands. "You don't know the Doctor like I do. Yes. Yes it will." Jack's eyes shown with tears and a wild hope. "I need a Doctor."

_..._

The next morning, Gwen opened the door to her room. She could hear the sounds of a video playing coming from the living room. "You're up early, Jack!" she called. As she approached the couch, though, she could see that Jack must have been up for hours. _If he ever went to sleep at all last night ..._ she thought to herself. Jack was hunched over the computer, an empty coffee cup in one hand, a highlighter and a mechanical pencil gripped tightly in the other.

Strewn around him were bits of paper and sketches, covered in frantic handwriting, bulleted lists and long, winding arrows pointing from one section to the other. It looked like the work of a genius detective ... or a madman.

"Jack!" Gwen cried, louder than she'd intended. Gwen took a beat to lower her voice and touched Jack's shoulder. "Jack," she continued in a more controlled tone, "have you slept at all?" Jack looked up at Gwen and leapt to his feet, his face exploding in a bright, wide smile.

"You're up!" he cheered, reaching down to pause the video currently on the screen. "Gwen, it's the Doctor! I've found him!" Jack gestured grandly at the screen. "It's really him! You remember that sudden burst of artron energy we detected back in 2008 in Florida?" Jack grabbed Gwen's hand and pulled her over to the wall where he'd taped up dozens of papers. He pointing to a scrawl of numbers on one sheet. "These are the coordinates," he explained. Jack then pulled down a small chart, "and it's one town over from where this guy lives!" Gwen stared at the documents on the wall. _Where did he find a map of the United States?_ Gwen wondered, pulling back just a bit on Jack's hand to get his attention.

Gwen tried to be gentle. "Wait, Jack, Hold on a moment. Isn't this an awfully big leap all based on a general location?"

Jack ran back over to the coffee table and shoved aside some of the piles of paper covering it. "You saw the videos last night ... as you know, that movie thing wasn't the only time he'd accurately predicted future events. He does it _all the time_ ..." Jack pulled out a long sheet of paper covered in phrases and video dates scrawled in increasingly messy print. He pressed the paper into Gwen's hands. She looked down, trying to understand. It all looked like, well, gibberish. "Jack, what is this? Steven Universe ... edible deodorant?" She looked up in confusion when Jack snatched the paper back.

"Whoops ... that one hasn't happened yet." Jack shoved the paper back under the others strewn about. "Anyway, he was right there all along!" Jack finally stopped explaining and just stood, smile bright and expectant.

"Jack - " Gwen began. "Why would _the Doctor_ , a Time Lord from Gallifrey, regenerate into a YouTube ... video ... person?" _Videographer? Whatever they're called._ She shook her head and looked at Jack with all the compassion she could muster. Things were really getting out of hand. "Jack, this is ... This is mad."

Jack clapped his hand to his forehead and shouted, "oh, right, I haven't yet told you the _definitive proof_!" Jack paused dramatically. "Do you remember that first video we watched?" Gwen nodded slightly, listening. Jack continued, "carrots, Gwen, **carrots**!" Gwen just stared. Jack said again, slowly, certain Gwen would understand if he just slowed down. "Carrots, come on - the Doctor _despises_ carrots. He," Jack pointed to the computer screen, "he came right out and said it during the video! He despises carrots!"

Defeated, Gwen sat down on the couch, elbows on knees, and let her head fall into her hands. She'd learned the hard way that when Jack got like this, the only way around it was through it. "Well, who am I to argue _carrots_?" she muttered. Gwen sighed heavily and swallowed. "Alright then," Gwen looked up at Jack. "What's the plan?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Incorrect quotes:**  
>  **The Doctor:** Your iPhone? I bring you to a paradise planet two billion light years from Earth and you want to update ... _Twitter_.  
>  **YouTuber Companion:** Sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades. It’s for a _vlog_.
> 
> _Mm? What’s that, my boy?  
>  When I say run, run!  
> Bow ties are cool!  
> Would you like a jelly belly?_   
>  **... Gotta stop ending on the boring one.**   
> 


	8. The Doctor Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, back in **_FLORIDA_!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIVER: Who told you that?  
> AMY: He did.  
> RIVER: Rule one. The Doctor lies.  
>  _\- The Big Bang_
> 
> RIVER: He said no-one could save him, but he must have known I could.  
> DOCTOR: Rule one. The Doctor lies.  
>  _\- Let's Kill Hitler_
> 
> AMY: Yes, it was. He said it was.  
> RIVER: Rule One?  
> AMY: The Doctor lies.  
>  _\- The Wedding of River Song_

"Goodnight, Joan! Goodnight, Thomas! Great work tonight!" Quil called out one last time before closing the door to the apartment, leaving the two to wrestle through some lingering details in the latest script.

"So in the first video with Deceit, we included examples of when lying can be convenient, or when we lie to cover up a mistake or to save others from harsh truths ... But - but what about when a lie can literally save lives?"

"Sure, we covered that with the story about Kant and lying to hide your friend from a murderer..."

"Yes, you're right, we talked about that rather ... black and white view. I mean ... how can we help people reason about _other_ kinds of protective lies? Like ... like when you lie to protect someone who's not out? Or when you're trying to escape an abusive home? Sneaking and hiding money and developing a safety plan typically involves _loads_ of lying and deception of all kinds, but I would never call that wrong. Lying to survive is _never wrong_. Nor is lying because ..."

"Because you'd break a hole in the Universe if you didn't?"

The Doctor's mouth hung open at the seriousness of the tone, eyes tracking upwards. _No_ , the Doctor thought, _no, no, no-one should be able to tell. I've been so careful._ It really could blow a hole in the Universe if the Doctor made too many waves right now. After staying in the same spacetime for so long, carelessness like this could turn Gainesville into another 1940s New York City. _Just play along, play along ... act like it's a joke ..._ The Doctor took in a shaky breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm two rapidly beating hearts and forcing a smile. Throat dry and fearing the betrayal of a cracking voice, the Doctor merely nodded.

"Because, after all, rule one ... **the Doctor lies**." The companion smiled gently and stared into the Doctor's eyes, waiting.

"But ... but how - how did you -" the Doctor stammered.

" **How** did I know?" A knowing smile coloring the words.

A ghostly version of Clara's voice danced through the Doctor's mind. _You can't do this. You cannot pass yourself off as a real person among actual people._ Defeated, the Doctor leaned in close and prayed to all of the Universe that this wasn't a mistake, whispering, " ** _no-one else can know._** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Incorrect Quote:**
> 
> **The Doctor:** We are engaged in a battle for your species' very souls.  
>  **The Companion:** Can you get us out of the mess we're in?


	9. Found

"That sounds great! Joan and I will still be here when you're done." He paused, listening to Davi's question. He covered the mouthpiece, "hey, um, Joan, do you still want Quil and Davi pick up some more bananas from Ward's on the way?" 

They nodded, grinning, "definitely! Always bring a banana to a party!"

"Yes, please bring some bananas," he said, laughing. "Great, we'll see you soon! Peace out!!" As he hung up, he could hear Quil's involuntary chuckle at the unironic use of his vlog catchphrase.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. "Don't get up, I got it," he said, jumping up from the table where they'd been pouring over script ideas. He walked down the short hall and opened the front door. "Wow, that was quick. Ward's must not have had a li-," his greeting died on his lips when he opened the door and instead of his friends, saw a tall, handsome stranger wearing a long military overcoat. "Uh, can I help y-," he started, one hand gripped tightly on the door, ready to slam shut if needed, the other reaching in his pocket for his phone.

"Doctor!" Jack interrupted, not noticing the other man's sudden unease. "I've found you!" Jack's face split in a huge grin, arms opened wide and ready to envelop him in a rib-crushing bear hug.

The shorter man froze, mouth slightly open, eyes wide in uncertainty and more than a little fear. "I - I - I'm sorry," he stammered. "I think you must have me confused with someone else." He took half a step back, starting to edge the door closed. Jack quickly put one hand on the door and jammed his foot against the frame, preventing him from closing his door completely.

"No, wait, Doc - it's _me_ , Jack. It's OK, it's just me!" Jack finally registered the fear in the other man's eyes. _No. No, something's wrong. Was Gwen right after all? Is this just some guy making videos on the internet?_ Jack's thoughts raced, throat tightening and he could feel his hands start to shake. His breath shuddered in his chest. _No_ , Jack thought to himself. _It all added up. No, this had to be the Doctor. Could he have used the Chameleon Arch on himself again?_ Jack pressed his eyes closed for a half a moment, willing the tears to stop. He opened his eyes again, meeting the other man's deep brown eyes. "Doc, please," Jack's voice cracked. " **Doc, please tell me you know who I am.** "

Inside the apartment, the Doctor's hearts broke at the familiar words. Unshed tears burned as the Doctor recalled River whispering nearly identical words in that shadow-filled library several lifetimes ago. The pain propelled the Doctor forward.

"Captain Jack Harkness," their voice called out from the hallway.

Thomas turned slightly, seeing his best friend step behind him. His questioning eyes sought out theirs. _Are you sure?_ his eyes seemed to ask. Thomas felt their hand gently squeeze his shoulder and Jack could see the tension in Thomas' neck and face dissolve at the reassuring smile on their face. "It's ok, Thomas," they said.

The Doctor turned to Jack and smiled, "Hello, Jack. How long has it been for you?" Jack's eyes slowly widened in understanding and his mouth stretched into a relieved and lopsided smile. "I wear a beanie now," the Doctor said, jauntily tugging the comfy orange knit hat on their head.

"Beanies are cool."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To see some of this story from a different point of view, take a look at [More Time With You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29066292/chapters/71346504).


End file.
